Other / mixed grade configuration · Bessemer, AL

Oak Grove High School

Federal NCES profile for Oak Grove High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010192000732
0/100100/10039/100
👥 S:T ratio
28
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
22
📋 Attendance
37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Oak Grove High School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools.

#3 of 7
schools in Bessemer · Resource Index
39
Resource Index · Typical
18.1:1
students per teacher
46.5%
free-lunch eligible

Oak Grove High School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Oak Grove High School ranks #3 of 7 schools in Bessemer, AL.

School address

Enrollment

777

Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

43.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

18.1:1

vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg

+2% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

46.5%

vs 58.8% Alabama avg

-21% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Oak Grove High School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Oak Grove High School

Oak Grove High School is a large combined-grade school in Bessemer, Alabama, enrolling 777 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 46.5% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 777 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.

Against 333 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #144.

Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 15/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 389 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 17.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Discipline events run high: 214 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 777 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

Among Bessemer's public schools, it stands alongside Mccalla Elementary School (752 students): Oak Grove High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.1:1 vs 20.3:1).

Jefferson County also operates Claychalkville High School (1,377 students) and Mcadory High School (1,259 students) alongside Oak Grove High School.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Oak Grove High School compares

Oak Grove High School on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Alabama Alabama avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 18.1:1 ▲ 2% 17.7:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 46.5% ▼ 21% 58.8% 51.7%
Enrollment 777 top 15% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

18.1:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
777
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
46.5%
free-lunch eligible - 21% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.1:1
students per teacher - 2% above state mean
Top 62% in Alabama - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,497
per pupil, district-wide - below Alabama avg of $12,491
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 389 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
149
in-school suspensions + 65 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

White 92.0%
African American 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.2%
Two or More 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Asian 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Largest group: White at 92.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 15.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 15.2, Oak Grove High School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.

Programs

AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson County, which includes Oak Grove High School.

$11,497
Per student
-8%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.2%
State 54.2%
Federal 17.6%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Oak Grove High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Claychalkville High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Mcadory High School Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Hueytown High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Shades Valley High School Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Gardendale High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Oak Grove High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Jefferson County · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Bessemer

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Alabama, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Oak Grove High School's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Oak Grove High School

How many students attend Oak Grove High School?

Oak Grove High School has 777 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bessemer, AL.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Oak Grove High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Oak Grove High School is 18.1:1, which is 2% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Oak Grove High School?

46.5% of students at Oak Grove High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Oak Grove High School?

The largest demographic group at Oak Grove High School is White at 92.0% of enrollment, in Bessemer, AL.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Oak Grove High School?

Oak Grove High School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Oak Grove High School rank among schools in Bessemer?

By Resource Investment Index, Oak Grove High School ranks #3 of 7 schools in Bessemer, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Bessemer on the city page.

Is Oak Grove High School a good school?

Oak Grove High School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Jefferson County?

Besides Oak Grove High School, Jefferson County also operates Claychalkville High School (1,377 students), Mcadory High School (1,259 students), and Hueytown High School (1,200 students). See the Jefferson County district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.